Browsing by Subject "Health attitudes"
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Item IDDM youths' perceptions of well youths' attitudes toward diabetes(Texas Tech University, 1996-12) Underwood, Tracy HYouths with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) have been shown to be at increased risk for psychosocial problems (Davis, Hess, & Hiss, 1988; Lustman, Griffith, Clouse, & Cryer, 1986; Popkin, Callies, Lentz, Colon, & Sutherland, 1988). Social support in the form of peer relationships is thought to be a mediating factor in combating the negative effects of stress associated with chronic illness (White, Richter, & Fry, 1992). The beneficial effects of social support may not be realized if diabetic children and adolescents have misconceptions about the illness attitudes of their healthy counterparts. The present study examined diabetic and well youths' attitudes toward diabetes, examined the diabetic youths' perceptions of well youths attitudes toward diabetes, and measured both groups' knowledge about diabetes. Participants were 147 diabetic and 117 well children between the ages of 7 and 14. They completed a diabetes knowledge questionnaire and a diabetes attitude questionnaire. The attitude measure was given twice with participants told to answer the first time as they normally would answer and told a second time to answer how others would answer. Statistical analysis found that diabetic youths had more positive attitudes toward children with diabetes than well youths. Diabetic youths and healthy youths perceived a discrepancy between their own and others' attitudes toward children with diabetes with their own attitudes being more positive. Diabetic youths knew more about diabetes and assigned a lower level of responsibility for the diabetic condition than healthy youth. Knowledge about diabetes was found to be positively related to attitudes about diabetes. Implications of research findings were discussed.Item Relation of acculturation, perceived benefits and barriers, self-efficacy, social support, and beliefs about physical activity to physical activity levels of college-aged Hispanic and non-Hispanic women(2011-05) Velasquez, Katherine Elizabeth Serna, 1961-; Holahan, Carole K.; Bartholomew, John; Loukas, Alexandra; Beretvas, Susan N.; Harrison, Tracie C.Two overall national health goals are to increase the quality and years of healthy life and to eliminate health disparities. Physical inactivity is a leading cause of disability and death due to its relationship with overweight and chronic disease. Hispanic women are less physically active than Hispanic men and Anglo women in leisure time physical activity and recommended levels of physical activity (PA). From a developmental perspective, understanding prevalence and correlates of PA in emerging adulthood may make a significant contribution to increasing PA as women move into full adulthood. The Health Promotion Model (HPM) advanced by Pender provided the framework for examining beliefs about PA and other correlates of PA. This study also developed and tested a scale measuring beliefs about PA (BPA) that tried to access cultural differences between non-Hispanic and Hispanic women. The study was carried out by electronic solicitation to randomly selected non-Hispanic and Hispanic students from 3 southwestern universities and yielded 237 complete online surveys. Instruments comprising the survey included the Short-version of the International PA Questionnaire (IPAQ), Exercise Benefits and Barriers Scale (EBBS), Self-Efficacy for Exercise (SEE), Social Support for Exercise Survey for Family and Friends (SSFA, SSFR), BPA, the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans (ARSMA II), and questions about SES. Statistical procedures included factor analysis, t-tests, and multi-sample path analysis. Respondents included 80 non-Hispanic and 157 Hispanic women, aged 18-27. Factor analysis of the BPA produced 7 subscales accounting for 68% of the explained variance (spirituality, role enhancement, socialization preferences, personal benefits, cultural beliefs, exercise difficulty, and women’s roles). Independent sample t-tests indicated group means for spirituality and cultural beliefs significantly differed, as did total BPA, acculturation, & SES. Path analysis provided evidence for a model with good fit for both groups. Significant path coefficients to vigorous PA included benefits, SE, and SSFA. Total indirect effects for SES to vigorous PA through SE and SSFA were significant. Acculturation, SES, SSFR, and BPA were not significant predictors of vigorous PA.Item Restaurant beef steak consumption behavior measured by an expanded rational expectations model(Texas Tech University, 1997-05) Crockett, Kathryn L.The Theory of Reasoned Action served as the theoretical framework for this study. The theoretical concepts are schematically represented by the rational expectations model. An expanded version of the model developed by Fishbein and Ajzen was employed in this study to investigate beef steak consumption in the casual dining restaurant environment. The constructs of this model include behavior predicted by intention; intention predicted by attitude, subjective norm, and social acceptability; attitude predicted by behavioral beliefs; and subjective norm predicted by referent others. A homogenous sample of beef eating, married consumers aged 25-35 who attend church in the southwestern metropolitan area was used. Researchers distributed self-administered questionnaires to participants (n=254) at church meetings duhng a two-week period in the spring of 1997. LISREL VIII was used to simultaneously analyze the measurement and structural model. Results indicated that all paths in the expanded rational expectations model were significant except for subjective norm to behavioral intention. Attitude to behavioral intention was the strongest path for males and females. Attitude was predicted by the beliefs construct which had significant indicators of taste, filling, safety/health, and price. These indicators are important to the beef and restaurant industry in that they ultimately predicted behavior for this particular sample. If the same results were found in a study with a representative sample of the population the beef industry could justify continued research in improving the sensory attributes of steak. The beef industry also could conduct additional research on increasing the safety and healthiness of steak. The restaurant industry could use these results to investigate price points to keep steak affordable and also could monitor portion size to ensure steak is filling. Additionally, results suggested the importance of the added social acceptability construct to females. Thus implying that female steak consumption decisions were susceptible to the generalized opinions of the larger society. If this sample was representative of the population, this result could be used by the beef and restaurant industry in marketing steak in casual dining restaurants. Marketers could focus on the socially acceptability of steak with females and the belief indicators for males.Item Self-rated health and perceived illness vulnerability as mediators of exercise and office visits(2005) Suzuki, Rie; Holahan, Carole K.The purpose of this study was to test a model to examine the mediational role of perceived illness vulnerability and self-rated health in predicting exercise and office visits, and the degree to which age may influence these effects. The possible influence of perceived controllability in moderating these effects was also explored. The exogenous predictors were perceived symptoms, depressive symptoms, and perceived friend support. The subjects were 3025 individuals from 24 to 74 responding to the 1995 National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States. The study used multiple group analysis on Mplus to investigate age group differences in the relations among these variables among young, middle, and older adults and among individuals with high and low controllability. The study were consistent with causal relations such that, given the models in the present study, self-rated health acted as a mediator in predicting exercise and office visits, and perceived illness vulnerability acted as mediator in predicting exercise, but not in predicting office visits. Age did not moderate the relationships among the constructs. In the model with office visits as the dependent variable, perceived controllability moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and self-rated health. Selfrated health mediated the effect of depressive symptoms on effects of office visits only in low controllability. Implications for interventions are discussed.